Job losses among Pearson’s UK exams staff have not been ruled-out as the company prepares to cut 10 per cent of its global workforce.
The international education company has announced cuts of around 4,000 jobs from its global staff of 40,000 as it seeks to cut costs in the face of “cyclical and policy-related challenges”.
Schools Week understands the 10 per cent cuts will be implemented fairly proportionately across Pearson’s global business, with around 500 jobs at risk in Britain, where the company employs around 5,000 people.
A Pearson spokesperson would not be drawn on whether the company’s exams arm, which sets and marks GCSE, A-level and BTEC tests among others, would be affected by the cuts, but sought to reassure schools that it would continue to invest in its UK business.
He said: “The UK is our home market and our second biggest market globally. Despite these necessary changes to simplify our business, we are completely committed to continuing to invest here for the long-term.”
In a statement, Pearson chief executive John Fallon said that although the company’s competitive performance had been “strong” in recent years, “cyclical and policy related challenges” markets had presented challenges which were “more pronounced and persisted for longer than anticipated”.
Mr Fallon did not go into detail about the “policy challenges” which had affected business, but these are understood to relate to issues in Pearson’s biggest markets, including the UK.
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